Refers to any of a variety of
computer systems that use more than one
computer, or
processor, to
run an
application. This includes
parallel processing, in which a single computer uses more than one
CPU to
execute programs. More often, however, distributed processing refers to
local-area networks (LANs) designed so that a single program can run simultaneously at various sites. Most distributed processing
systems contain sophisticated
software that detects idle CPUs on the
network and parcels out programs to utilize them.
Another form of distributed processing involves distributed databases, databases in which the data is stored across two or more computer systems. The database system keeps track of where the data is so that the distributed nature of the database is not apparent to users.
